Healthy Food Swaps For The Whole Family

Finely slice sweet veggies like carrots, beetroot and parsnip and toss with a little olive oil. Bake in a low heat oven until crisp, before adding a little grated Parmesan to taste. Everyone in the family – from a picky husband to fussy grandkids – will love these lower-salt healthy crisp alternatives. If you’re willing to share them, that is. And with its tough grease-cleaning power, Dawn will soon have the baking trays looking as good as new.

Swap sugary drinks for glam water

Instead of drinking sugar-laden fizzy drinks at meal times, add fresh mint and cucumber slices to still or sparkling water to liven it up. And frozen grapes make great ‘ice cubes’, too.

Swap spaghetti for ‘squashetti’

Is spaghetti Bolognaise a regular in your house? Replace the pasta with butternut squash for a healthy boost of vitamin A and C. Just bake a whole squash in the oven and you’ll find that once cooked it’ll shred into threads (a fork helps here), which are perfect for twirling.

Swap small-diced veggies for big chunks

Cook vegetables in larger pieces to retain more of their health benefits – bigger chunks (or cooking them whole) means less breakdown of nutrients during the cooking process. And don’t forget to cook potatoes with their skin on to retain more fiber. The added bonus? Less peeling and chopping required!

Swap sweets for chocolate trail mix

Making homemade trail mix is easier than you think. Fill small plastic bags with nuts and seeds (we like Brazil nuts, almonds and sunflower seeds) as well as your favorite dried fruit and a few dark chocolate chips. Hey presto – you’ve just created a healthy snack that’s perfect either in front of the TV or as a handbag treat to tide you over during days out.

Instead of always using butter or mayo on sandwiches, spread on creamy avocado. Mashed banana makes a great jam replacement on morning toast and as it’s higher in fiber, will keep you fuller for longer.

Swap some of the sugar in cakes for vegetables

You love carrot cake, but why stop there? Not only do vegetables add natural sweetness and vitamins while reducing calories, they help your bakes stay moist and fresh for longer. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! You’ll find heaps of great recipes online.

Swap potato mash for white beans

Did you know canned beans count towards your five-a-day fruit and veg target? White butter beans make heavenly ‘mash’ when crushed in a pan with oil, garlic and a little butter to loosen.

Swap whites for surprising browns

You already know wholegrain pasta, bread and rice contain double the fiber of white varieties, but did you know there are other whole grains that are great, too? Step forward, oats, rice cakes and popcorn (yes, really).

Swap bubbling pans for steamy ones

Vitamins from vegetables leach into water, which is why steaming is the healthiest cooking method. You don’t need complicated electric steamers – simply pop a metal colander into your pan with a little water, drop in the vegetables, pop on the lid, and voila, steamed veggies with all their goodness still in tact. Have Cascade ActionPacs in your cupboard and even the washing-up will be a breeze. They’re so good, they even clean grease from your dishwater filter. Smart!